Tang San pressed his fingers to the center of the altar. Golden divine light burst from his palm.
The Sea God Hall trembled.
It wasn't the pillars or walls. The entire island was shaking, the whole sea, even the cracked patterns in his Divine Soul.
Pain.
Still pain.
But this time, the pain came with a pleasure so fierce it nearly drove him mad.
At last.
He had crawled out of the Capital of Slaughter and fought his way across Sea God Island to this moment. His Divine Soul had cracked and been mended, his meridians severed and reconnected. His father's severed arms, the golden light of Spirit City, and every betrothal gift Hu Liena had received—all of it weighed on his back.
He couldn't retreat.
He had no right to.
Golden light rose from around the altar, spiraling higher and higher as it lifted Tang San into the center.
The Sea God Trident hovered before him. Every crack along its shaft had healed. Blue-gold patterns glowed from its tip to its butt, and its humming shook dust from the hall's vaulted ceiling.
Yu Xiaogang stood outside the hall, his legs buckling under the pressure of that divine might.
He wanted to call out, "San'er," but his throat felt blocked. He couldn't force out a single word.
So this was a god?
The disciple he had taught was really about to become a god.
Yet as Yu Xiaogang looked at the figure atop the altar, a cold sweat broke out across his back.
Too cold.
The aura around Tang San was too cold.
It was nothing like the sea.
Nothing like the sea that embraced all things.
It was more like an abyss, drenched in blood and then frozen over.
Blue-gold specks of light gathered above the altar once more.
The towering Sea God Phantom took shape for the last time.
Three zhang tall, he stood before Tang San, holding a Trident. His divine armor shimmered, and his features were too majestic to make out.
His eyes lowered to Tang San.
Tang San looked up.
He knew this was the final step.
As long as this will acknowledged him, he would become the new Sea God of the Douluo Continent.
No longer a Tang Sect disciple whose fortune was suppressed by the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron.
No longer a weakling driven to let his father lose an arm by the Severing Thought Sword.
No longer someone who could only watch Hu Liena grow stronger, step by step, while he was powerless to do anything.
He would stand on the same level as them.
No.
He would stand even higher.
"Tang San."
The Sea God Phantom spoke, his voice drowning out the crashing waves outside the hall.
"You have passed all of the Sea God's trials."
Tang San clenched his fingers tight.
Here it came.
He had waited so long to hear those words.
Since the Ninth Trial began, every time the Sea God's Power washed over his Divine Soul, he had thought he would die.
But whenever he could barely hold on, that night in Spirit City would come back to him.
His father kneeling in a pool of blood.
Two empty sleeves.
Hu Liena standing in the golden light, the Sword Mark of the Severing Thought Sword glowing on her wrist.
And Shen Yichen, who hadn't even shown his face.
That Celestial Master sitting in the Stone Chamber on Tiandang Mountain, who had made him look so wretched with a casual gesture.
Tang San's chest heaved.
I can't lose.
I absolutely cannot lose.
The Sea God Phantom's voice continued.
"From this day on, you are the new Sea God of the Douluo Continent, and master of the ocean's authority."
The moment the words fell, golden light blazed across the sky.
All the Divine Runes around the altar lit up. The Sea God Trident jerked forward, turning into a streak of blue-gold light that shot straight into Tang San's palm.
Tang San closed his fingers around it.
He had it.
In that instant, the entire Sea God Hall was bathed in daylight.
A pillar of light shot up from the center of the Sea God Hall, smashing through the roof and piercing the clouds.
Tens of thousands of zhang of waves lowered in unison. The walls of water surrounding Sea God Island spread outward, ring after ring, as if the entire ocean were bowing to its new god.
Golden light filled Tang San's Divine Soul.
The cracks were healing.
One, two, three.
The Sea God's Power surged into every fissure, forcibly piecing together his once-unstable Divine Soul, inch by inch.
The pain hadn't vanished. It had only been crushed beneath a far greater power.
He could feel his Soul Power transforming.
No, he could no longer call it Soul Power.
Divine Power.
True Divine Power.
Every inch of flesh was being reforged. Every bone felt as though it had been washed by the tides a thousand times over.
The Sea God Divine Armor took full shape on his body. Crown, pauldrons, breastplate, armguards, belt, greaves—each piece locked into place, seamless and snug.
Tang San slowly opened his eyes.
Golden light swirled in his gaze.
Yu Xiaogang, outside the hall, caught that look and his knees buckled. He nearly dropped to them.
"San'er..."
At last, the words came.
His voice was hoarse beyond recognition.
Tang San didn't answer right away.
He rose to his feet.
The instant his soles left the altar, the Divine Runes on the ground parted of their own accord, as though making way for him.
The Sea God Trident appeared in his hand, heavy and cold, yet perfectly attuned to his Divine Soul.
This was power.
Tang San lowered his gaze to his hand.
Golden scales encased his fingers, and Divine Power flowed between them.
If he wished, a single strike could overturn the waters for ten thousand li around Sea God Island.
The sensation made his whole body tremble.
Not with fear.
With exhilaration.
With the thrill of finally breaking free after being shackled for so long.
"At last, I..."
Tang San's voice was soft.
The next moment, he gripped the Sea God Trident and slammed its butt against the altar.
Boom!
The entire hall shook again.
"I've become a god!"
His voice rang out from the Sea God Hall, swept across the island, and pressed into the churning waves.
Yu Xiaogang held on to the doorframe, his eyes red.
He'd done it.
He'd really done it.
All his life, people had mocked Yu Xiaogang as a useless good-for-nothing. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan had cast him aside, and the Soul Master World had trampled him underfoot. Yet he had taught a god!
Who would dare call him useless now?
Who?!
"Good, good..."
Yu Xiaogang's lips trembled. He smiled, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
"San'er, you finally did it."
Tang San turned and looked at him.
There wasn't much warmth in that look.
At least, not the warmth Yu Xiaogang had imagined.
Tang San had only one thought on his mind.
Go back.
Fight his way back.
Make them pay for every last debt.
Hu Liena.
Shen Yichen.
Spirit Hall.
And that damned Fate-Suppressing Cauldron.
At the thought of the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron, the smile on Tang San's face suddenly froze.
Something was wrong.
He lowered his head and felt the ceaseless surge of the Sea God's Power within him.
His godhood was secure.
His Godhead had formed.
The Sea God's authority was in his hands.
But that heavy pressure was still there.
Like an invisible cauldron, it remained poised over his fate, weighing down his fortune, his opportunities, and the divine path that should have soared skyward.
Tang San's eyelid twitched.
How was this possible?
He had become a god.
He was the Sea God now!
How could a mere betrothal gift from the lower realm still suppress him?
The Sea God's Power surged within him. Tang San tried to force his way through that pressure.
Blue-gold Divine Power rushed upward through his meridians, slamming into the heavy shadow deep within his fate.
The next instant, the backlash struck.
Tang San's shoulders lurched, and a rush of blood rose in his throat.
He forced it back down.
He couldn't spit it out.
Not in front of his master.
And certainly not the moment he had become a god.
But the Sea God Trident in his palm creaked under his grip.
The Fate-Suppressing Cauldron was still there.
Not only had the thing withstood his Divine Power, it seemed to have sensed his ascension—and pressed down even more firmly.
Tang San's jaw clenched tighter and tighter.
A faint crunch came from his back teeth.
Yu Xiaogang sensed something was wrong. The joy on his face froze.
"San'er? What's wrong?"
Tang San didn't answer.
He closed his eyes and spread his divine sense.
The Sea God's authority unfurled, crossing the ocean and the continent, heading straight toward Spirit City.
Soon, he saw it.
Spirit City.
Pope Palace.
The Cultivation Room in the rear courtyard.
The Star River Map hovered above Hu Liena's head, its radiance pouring down from the Twenty-Eight Mansions.
The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment clung to her body, its Golden Toad pattern slowly rising and falling as it held the divine might of the outside world three feet away.
She sat cross-legged at the heart of the starlight, her five fox tails unfurled as her Soul Power surged wildly.
Rank 88.
She had already reached Rank 88.
Tang San's mouth twitched.
Three months ago, she had still been a Soul Saint.
Now she was only one step away from becoming a Titled Douluo.
Why?
Because Shen Yichen had thrown a few betrothal gifts her way?
Why did he, Tang San, have to fight until his Divine Soul shattered just to claim the Sea God Godhood today,
while Hu Liena sat in Spirit City, pushed ever higher by one treasure after another?
It wasn't fair.
There had never been fairness in this world, but this time, Tang San thought it was absurd.
So absurd he wanted to laugh.
And he did.
His laughter was low, trapped in his throat. It sent a chill down Yu Xiaogang's back.
"San'er..."
"Master."
Tang San cut him off, his voice frighteningly calm.
"I've become a god."
Yu Xiaogang nodded, managing a strained smile.
"Yes, you've become a god. You're the new Sea God of the Douluo Continent."
Tang San raised the Sea God Trident, pointing its tip toward the mainland.
"But the Fate-Suppressing Cauldron is still suppressing me."
Yu Xiaogang's expression changed.
"What?"
"That was the second betrothal gift the Celestial Master gave Hu Liena."
Tang San bit down hard on every word.
"I've already become a god, but it's still suppressing my fortune."
Yu Xiaogang's lips moved.
He wanted to say it was impossible.
How could a god's fate be suppressed by something from the lower world?
But the words died on his lips as he recalled the previous heavenly betrothal gifts.
The Primordial Spirit Bead.
The Fate-Suppressing Cauldron.
The Severing Thought Sword.
The Star River Map.
The Tribulation-Avoiding Garment.
Which of them seemed like something from the lower world?
Which of them had ever played by the rules?
Yu Xiaogang suddenly had no idea how to comfort him.
Tang San gazed into the distance, the golden light in his eyes slowly turning cold.
"Hu Liena."
Her name left his lips with the taste of blood.
"Shen Yichen."
The second name came out even heavier.
The Sea God Trident thrummed. At its sound, the entire sea churned with rolling waves.
"I've become a god."
Tang San stepped down from the altar.
With each step, the ground crumbled into powder.
"Let's see what you can do now!"
Before you continue